War-Torn
by LuxaLucifer
Summary: Ron and Hermione are cleaning out the Department of Magical Transportation after the war. It feels like some fights never end.


Written for the QLFC.

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><p>"Hermione, I'm not positive we need to search every single inch of the Ministry."<p>

"Nonsense, Ron, a thorough search is the only way we're going to get to the root of all corruption."

Ron sighed and flopped down on a desk, mournfully watching Hermione sift through papers. "But here? Really? What awful, horrible things do you really think are hiding in the Department of Magical Transportation?"

"That's what they want us to think," she replied promptly.

Ron smiled, shaking his head. "You know, you're kind of brilliant."

"Kind of?" said Hermione."

"Yeah, only kind of. Because the other half of you is completely mental."

"I didn't think it was considered a very good idea to call your girlfriend mental," said Hermione, looking back at him with a smile and a dangerous glint in her eye.

"Yeah, I'm full of those kinds of ideas," he said, laughing.

She shook her head and continued her search. Ron couldn't imagine the documents being anything other than incredibly boring, but to each their own.

"Anything interesting?"

"I'm not going to find anything at all if you don't stop talking."

Ron groaned very loudly and rolled off the desk onto a chair. She barely managed to suppress her laughter in order to tut disapprovingly at him.

"I'm going to go find something to do," he said gloomily.

"You could always help me."

"I'm going to go find something fun to do."

He poked his head out the door, looking for someone to pester. At the end of the hall he could see Kingsley Shacklebolt talking to someone who, from a distance, looked like a large clump of dreads.

"Lee, Kingsley," he greeted happily the moment he was close enough that they could hear him. "What's up?"

"Hello, Ron. I was just asking Lee if he wanted to be the official voice of the Ministry," said Kingsley, looking as serene and calm as always.

Lee shrugged. "I'm considering it. I'm trying to make it so I get to replace Bagman at the Quidditch World Cups from him, but I'm not getting confirmation here."

"Aw, c'mon, Lee would be great," said Ron, grinning. "He was the best commentator we ever had."

Kingsley rolled his eyes. "I told you, Lee, that's not up for me to decide."

"You'll put a good word in for me then, right?"

"Sure. Least I can do if you're on board."

"I am," said Lee, shaking hands with the new Prime Minister. Kingsley promptly turned away to find someone else to talk to. The Minister was a busy man these days.

"Who commentated after I left, by the way?" said Lee curiously. "I never heard."

"They didn't find a single replacement," said Ron. "Zacharias Smith, for one."

Lee made a shuddering sound. "Not that prick. You let him?"

"Ginny rammed into him with her broom."

Lee laughed. "Good, he probably deserved it."

"He did, the slimy git," said Ron, who couldn't help joining the laughter. "Then Luna. Blimey, that was interesting."

Lee winced. "I can't imagine she really got the gist of what she was supposed to do."

"Yeah, you know Luna. It was interesting, though."

Lee snorted. "I'm sure that's a word for it."

Lee sat back on his heels and sighed. "It was nice catching up with you, man, but I've got to head out. Having dinner with your brother tonight."

Ron almost asked why he was only having dinner with one, but then he remembered. He swallowed hard.

"See you, then, Lee," he managed.

"Yeah, see you around, Ron," replied Lee, their mutual cheer having dissipated.

Ron sighed and tromped back to the room Hermione was so diligently searching head to toe, unsure what he'd say. He plopped down next to her and tried to pull out a couple of files to start and help her.

"Ron, what's going on? You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled. "I'm fine."

Hermione frowned in his general direction. "You're not fine .What happened out in the hallway? You trip in font of Fleur or something?"

"Hey," he objected. "I've only got eyes for you. But no. She wasn't there."

"Then this clears up nothing," she said, pushing a lock of bushy hair behind her ear. "What's going on with you?"

"Nothing," he said. "I just want to help clean up the Ministry with you. Why would you doubt me on that?"

Hermione laughed under her breath. "If you say so, Ron. I know you better than that, but if you want to hide it, fine."

Ron immediately felt guilty. "It's not that I want to hide it, it's just…Lee was out there."

"I forgot that Lee Jordan's presence instantly made you hate the world," she replied sarcastically.

He glared at her. "That's not it."

"I know, Ron."

"He's seeing George tonight."

Hermione didn't reply instantly, but she stopped rifling through the parchment. She was silent for a moment.

"How is George?"

"He's…" Ron shook his head. "He's not good. He's really not good."

"I wish I could help," she said quietly. "I wish there was something I could do. I wish-"

"Yeah," he said, leaning into her and resting his head on her shoulder. "Yeah, me too."

"The war's over, but everything's not better," she said. "Life would be a lot simpler if it was."

Ron shrugged. "Nothing we can do about it. We can't look to Harry to save us anymore."

"No," she said. "But we can look through old Transportation records to see if there's something incriminating, just in case it change something for the better."

"Just like you, you know that?" he said, laughing. "Making the most boring job in the world sound important."

"It _is_ important!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

She reached over and squeezed his hand. "It'll get better."

He smiled. "Yeah, yeah, I know."


End file.
